Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Hi everyone!We're on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=142511070752&ref=mfAnd I've sent out an email for mass circulation, so circulate away! The best way to participate, we're discovering, is to have a party or gathering and make squares together! For more info on making a square, see the post "How To Make a Square". GO NUTS! The whole point is to get as many people involved as possible-- so show your square to everyone! Tell them what you're making it for and why. And if you email us a picture, we'll put it on the blog!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

So I made my square, then what?1. Please put your name on it if you want, and name the square (for example "Tiger" or "My Grandson")

2. If you would like to attach the story of your square (why you made what you made, your hopes for the future, etc) please do that on a piece of paper attached with a stitch or paperclip so it can be removed. We'll include it in this blog with a picture of your square unless you ask us not to.

3. Bring it in person to the action on October 24th (in San Francisco, location, TBA) or mail it to: America Worden PO BOX 781, Sonoma, CA, 95476

4. PLEASE LET US KNOW you're making a square so we can plan for the whole quilt! Email Meri at: speckled_lettuce@yahoo.com

Extra Credit:To help everyone out, if you have the time and know other people who are participating (and hopefully lots of people you know are!) you could sew (not expertly, just firmly) a few squares to each other before you bring them on the 24th or mail them in. We're going to be making panels that are 8 feet X 8 feet wide (so 8 big squares, or 16 small squares, or some combination of them) to lay out the whole quilt so that people can walk between these panels and see all 350 beloved reasons. I'm going to post diagrams very soon to illustrate, or feel free to email)

Making a square is easy! In fact, it doesn't have to be quilted or sewn at all...

Subject:Think of something you really love about life on Earth. It could be an animal, a place, a person (a child, grandchild, someone from six generations in the future), a symphony, a piece of art or architecture, a book, an iceberg, a language, a particular plant or tree... something that is unique to Earth that you want to continue into the future. Your square of the quilt will be a tribute to that beloved entity.

Size:Create your square however you like (you could even write on an old sheet with a sharpie) on a piece of non-stretchy, easy to sew cloth (like an old sheet, a piece of painter's canvas, etc.). The dimensions of the decorated part can be two different sizes, either:

Please leave a little extra room (a few centimeters or an inch) on all sides of the decoration for easy sewing together.

Materials:As noted above, the square should be made out of non-stretchy cloth. Please consider the process of piecing all of the squares together and refrain from using any fabric that is particularly fragile or fussy to sew. When it is finished, it should also be foldable.

Other than that, it's up to you what you do with the fabric! It doesn't have to be a recognizable or even beautiful image, just something that is important to you. It doesn't even have to be an image, it could be a poem or a prayer or a piece of writing for or about your subject. (It would be great for the quilt as a whole piece of art if your square is colorful, but again, its up to you.)

Here are some ideas:

* Paint on it with waterproof paint* Draw or write on it with permanent markers* Use dyes* Spray paint or stencil on it* Batik your square* Fingerpaint!* Make a big cut out stamp out of piece of cardboard and stamp it onto your square* Quilt it the traditional way, by sewing pieces of fabric together to make a pattern* Make a collage (you can attach anything you want to it as long as it's durable and not heavy, for example, no rocks, large pieces of metal, etc)* Sew your subject onto your square in cool beads or buttons* Have a photo printed on it* Silkscreen your square* Any and all creative possibilities you want to share in a comment to this post!

Next Steps:Tell all of your friends to make a square, too!Please see the post What To Do With Your Finished Square for next steps...

The 350 Reasons Quilt is a community art project created to raise awareness about keeping our atmosphere here on Earth safe for the life we love.

Last year, the world's leading climate scientists determined that the maximum carbon dioxide levels Earth's atmosphere can hold without causing huge changes in the climate and ecosystems of our planet is 350 parts per million. These are the words of James Hansen of NASA:

"If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm." (Target Atmospheric CO2: Where Should Humanity Aim?, 2008)

Right now, Earth's atmosphere contains 390 parts per million, and we are just beginning to really see the effects of this overload in unusual seasons, huge storms, the melting of the polar ice, etc....

This December in Copenhagen our world's leaders are meeting to reach an agreement on dealing with the global climate crisis together. International cooperation and large scale legislation is the most important thing we can work toward to get carbon back down below 350. The 350 Reasons Quilt is part of a global day of action to raise awareness about the number 350, the most important number on Earth, and to create support for this limit throughout the human community. On October 24th, 2009, there will be actions all over the world (in 100 countries and counting) to move 350 into the our collective awareness (check out http://www.350.org for tons of information). We're going to be sewing together and displaying the quilt that day in San Francisco at a location that we're still determining. Please come!

Each panel of the quilt is a tribute to something that the person who made it loves about life on Earth. All sewn together, the quilt will represent 350 reasons we dedicate ourselves to keeping Earth's atmosphere below 350.

Please participate! You can participate in this project by:-coming to sew the quilt together-spreading the word about 350, 350.org, or the quilt-making a panel of something you love about life (It's EASY- check out the post How to Make a Square for more details.)-creating and registering your own action for October 24th (check out http://www.350.org/invitation)

As the panels are completed and sewn together, we'll be posting them on this site with any explanation/description/caption or dedication the panel's maker includes.

About Me

The 350 reasons quilt is a community art project to raise awareness about keeping our atmosphere here on planet Earth safe for life. Last year, the world's leading climate scientists determined that 350 parts per million CO2 is the most that our atmosphere can hold and still sustain life as we know it.
Currently, the atmosphere holds 390-- way too much. The quilt was created as part of a global movement (see 350.org) to make October 24, 2009 a global day of action to raise awareness of this most important number on Earth. In December, 2009, the world's leaders are meeting to create new agreements about how to work together on the climate crisis, and 350 needs to be the number they are working for.
Each panel of the 350 Reasons Quilt is a tribute to something that the person who created it loves about life on Earth. All sewn together, the quilt will represent 350 reasons to dedicate our energy, time and creativity to keep Earth's atmosphere below 350! It continues to grow and inspire people. Please participate by creating your own panel and bringing it or mailing it to the quilt project!